Sunday, July 29, 2012

Craig Price: Confessions of a Teenage Serial Killer

The Heaton Murders

On September 4, 1989, Marie Bouchard went to check on her daughter
Joan Heaton, 39, and her two grandchildren, Jennifer, 10, and Melissa,
8, at their home on Metropolitan Drive in the Buttonwoods area of
Warwick, R.I. She was concerned because she hadnt heard from them over
the Labor Day weekend. Maries other daughter, Mary Lou, accompanied her
to Joans house. It was a visit that would change their lives forever.
When
Marie and Mary Lou went to the house, they found it unusual that no one
answered the door when they called. They knew Joan must have been
nearby because her car was still parked in the driveway, so they rang
the doorbell several more times. Still, there was no answer. They
decided to take a look inside the house.
When they entered, they
immediately knew something was terribly wrong. The interior was
splattered with blood and a putrid smell permeated the air. As they
walked further into the house, they made a heart-wrenching discovery.
They
saw Joan lying beneath blood-soaked sheets in the hallway. Her oldest
daughter, Jennifer, was lying nearby and Melissa was on the kitchen
floor. All three had been brutally murdered.
Marie and Mary Lou
were horror stricken. Just days earlier Marie had spent the day with
Joan and her grandchildren shopping and enjoying time together. It was
hard to imagine that they were all dead.
The mother and daughter
called the police soon after they discovered the bodies. Within moments,
rescue workers arrived on the scene followed shortly thereafter by
detectives. The house was cordoned off and an investigation of the crime
scene began.
Detectives were shocked at the savagery of the
crime. Even the most seasoned investigators had difficulty holding back
tears. All the victims had been stabbed multiple times with kitchen
knives. The youngest child, Melissa, was stabbed so fiercely that one of
the blades actually broke off in her neck. She also had her skull
bashed in with a kitchen stool. Apart from the 57 stab wounds inflicted
on her body, Joan was also bludgeoned and strangled. It was believed
that they were murdered three days prior to the discovery. �
The
heinous murders were the worst the city had seen in recent times. News
of the triple homicide sent shock waves through the small town. No one
felt safe and residents looked to the police for answers. Even though
investigators had little to go on, they vowed to find the murderer. It
was a promise they would keep.

Looking for Leads

Gregg McCrary

The Warwick Police Department had their finest working on the case. They
were determined to catch the person responsible for the murders and
they worked day and night reviewing evidence and interviewing locals who
might have information related to the crime. They also enlisted one of
the FBIs top profilers, Gregg O. McCrary, to assist in the
investigation.

The Unknown Darkness

McCrary stated in his book The Unknown Darkness, that he believed
the murderer was likely someone from the Heatons neighborhood.
Moreover, he suggested the crime was probably connected with another
unsolved murder that took place two years earlier in Buttonwoods. The
coincidences between the crimes were significant.In July 1987,
Rebecca Spencer, 27, was found dead in her living room. She had been
stabbed repeatedly with a packing knife. At the time of her death she
was preparing to move to another neighborhood.
In both the Heaton
and the Spencer cases, the killer used a weapon that was already present
in the house. This presented strong evidence that the killer originally
entered the residence for another purpose, such as to burglarize the
house. It is likely that the intruder was caught unaware and murdered
the eyewitnesses using what McCrary referred to as a weapon of
opportunity.
Robbers often burglarize houses they know. The more
familiar you are with the contents of a house, the more successful your
robbery will be. Consequently, burglars regularly choose to rob houses
that are close to where they live. McCrary suggested that in both cases
the murderer likely entered the residences with the intention of robbing
and probably was familiar with the houses and/or residents. Moreover,
he believed the murderer lived in the Buttonwoods area because both
crimes were committed five houses from one another.
Another
similarity between the cases was an unusual display of overkill. Joan
and Rebecca were stabbed approximately 60 times each, and the children
approximately 30 times. Due to the excessive nature of the crimes, it
was highly probable that the same person committed the murders.
McCrary
suggested to investigators that the frenetic manner of the stabbing,
used to kill the Heatons likely resulted in the murderer stabbing his
own hand. He told them that they should look for someone in the
neighborhood with a cut or bandaged hand. McCrarys advice was of great
use to investigators because it significantly narrowed the search for a
suspect. They had a location in which to begin and a possible
characteristic of the suspect. All they needed was some luck.

Breakthrough

On September 5, 1989, just one day after the bodies were
discovered, investigators got their first real break in the case.
According to Denise Langs book, A Call for Justice,�police
detectives Ray Pendergast and Mark Brandreth were driving through a park
near Buttonwoods, when Pendergast spotted a familiar face. They stopped
the car to talk to a neighborhood boy named Craig Price, 15, who
Pendergast once coached in a local basketball program.
Pendergast
asked the youth if he heard about the murders. Craig responded with
concern that he was aware of what had happened and that he had seen the
bodies coming out of the house the day before. He lived just a few doors
away from the Heaton family.
During the conversation, Pendergast
and Brandreth noticed that Craig had a bandage on his hand. Suspicious,
Pendergast asked how he hurt himself. Craig claimed that he got drunk
several nights earlier and punched his hand through a car window on Keeley Avenue.
As the detectives pulled away they could not help but wonder if Craig
was telling the truth about his hand. Why would he admit to two police
officers that he vandalized a car?

Warwick Police Dept. patch

It seemed unlikely that a teenager would commit such ghastly crimes as
the Heaton murders, let alone such a good-humored and vivacious kid as
Craig. However, the fact that the boy had a cut on his hand and lived on
the same street as the Heatons was too much of a coincidence to ignore.
It was something both officers felt compelled to follow up on, which
they did.The detectives wrote up a report and began to
investigate Craigs story. They learned that there was no police report
of a car window being smashed in the area Craig mentioned. They also
went to Keeley Avenue and found no evidence of glass on the street. The two detectives began to further doubt Craigs story.
Craig
became a viable suspect in the Heaton murders. Even though many in the
department believed the officers were wasting their time investigating
him, Pendergast and Brandreth decided to follow their gut feelings and
pursue Craig as a lead. They just needed more evidence to support their
theory.
In the meantime, expert blood analyst Dr. Henry Lee was
contacted by police and asked to examine the Heatons residence for
clues. He went to the house and analyzed the blood splatters and trails.
During his investigation, he gathered vital clues from the crime scene
including a bloody sock imprint. Whoever left the imprint wore a size 13
shoe.

Suspect

Craig Price was not an average teenager. At age 15, he already had
a history of offenses including a record of breaking and entering,
theft, peeping into houses and using drugs. He was also known to have a
violent temper. Police had been called to his house on more than one
occasion to settle disputes in which he was involved.
Investigators
working on the Heaton case decided it was time to question Craig more
thoroughly. They went to Craigs house and asked him to come with his
parents to the police station, which they did. During questioning, Craig
was asked more detailed questions about how he cut his hand. He
maintained his story that he hurt himself while trying to break into a
car. Investigators were not convinced and asked him to take a
lie-detector test.
The following day, Craig submitted to a
polygraph. He was asked questions relating to how he cut his hand. The
test revealed that Craig was lying. According to Lang, it was the first
big break in the case.

Warwick Police Dept building

Even though the polygraph proved that Craig was dishonest,
however, it didnt prove that he was involved in the murders.
Investigators needed more evidence.
During interviews with Craigs
friends and acquaintances, investigators learned that he ran with a gang
of juvenile delinquents who were known to burglarize houses. More
significantly, they discovered that Craig boasted about killing Rebecca
Spencer. It was the first evidence they had connecting Craig to a
murder. Investigators were quick to obtain a search warrant for his
house.
Detectives Kevin Collins, Arthur Anderson and Tim Colgan
organized a search team. They devised a plan to set up overnight
surveillance of the house before actually going in to search the
residence. They wanted to make sure Craig was there and didnt leave the
premises.
In the early morning hours of September 17, detectives
gave the signal to move in on the house. A team of officers led by
Collins, Anderson and Colgan rang the doorbell. Craigs father answered
the door and was shocked to see the police on his doorstep. He had no
choice but to let them in.
The rest of the family, including
Craig, his mother and brother were awakened and asked to sit in the
living room during the search. They were all visibly distressed by the
drama, except for Craig who dozed off to sleep on the couch. It didnt
take investigators long to find what they were looking for.
While
searching the shed behind the house, a trash bag was found full of
incriminating evidence. Within the bag were several bloody knives from
the Heaton household, along with bloodied articles of clothing, gloves
and other objects. Investigators woke up Craig and arrested him for the
murders of Joan, Jennifer and Melissa. Surprisingly, he seemed
unaffected.
Craig was ushered from his house to the police station
with his parents in tow. He was booked, then interrogated about the
murders. The detectives hoped Craig would come clean about his crimes.
They got more than expected.

Craig's Confessions

During the interview, Craig amazed detectives when he immediately
confessed to the Heaton murders. He described in detail the events of
the fateful night, although his story periodically changed. Eventually,
he became worn out and decided that it was easier to tell the truth.
According to Lang, what came out of his mouth next stunned even the most
experienced and jaded listeners and sent his father, John Price, to the
mens room to vomit, rendering him unable to return.
Craigs
horrified mother stood by her son as he recounted the events that took
place at the Heaton residence approximately two weeks earlier. He told
his interrogators that his primary intention was to burglarize the
house. He said that he found an open window in the kitchen, which he
crawled through. He accidentally landed on a table, which broke but,
despite the noise, he continued in the burglary.
He claimed that
he walked through the residence looking for items to steal. He didnt
realize that the noise had awakened Joan. She walked into the kitchen
and spotted Craig when she turned on the light. In a state of panic,
Craig said that he grabbed Joan, then beat and strangled her. Joans
screams woke up the children who stumbled out of their beds to the
hallway. Melissa ran to the kitchen to call the police but Craig
overpowered her.
Craig tackled the girls to the floor, then went
to the kitchen, grabbed some knives and began to stab them all. During
the attack, one of the girls bit Craigs hand. In a fit of rage, he bit
the girl back on the face. Craig also bit Joan. Moreover, he smashed the
youngest girl over the head with a stool, when she continued to
struggle against him. Craig didnt expect that the three would put up
such a fight, but they did. They fought until they succumbed to their
injuries.
Craig said that during the murders he had accidentally
stabbed his hand. He removed the gloves he was wearing and tended to his
injuries in the bathroom. He didnt realize that he left a trail of
blood and sock prints behind him.

Dr. Henry Lee

Evidence collected from the crime scene was later found to support
Craigs story. The blood analysis conducted by Dr. Lee showed that some
of the blood samples matched Craigs blood type. Moreover, Craigs shoe
size was the same as the sock prints. There was no doubt he was telling
the truth.Craig further admitted to covering the Heatons
bodies with blankets, probably out of shame for what he had done. He
then tried to clean up the crime scene with towels but he feared that if
he stayed too long police would catch him. He quickly gathered the
knives, gloves and some of the bloodied towels and sprinted from the
scene.
Craig said he immediately returned to his home several
doors away. He confessed that he hid his blood-soaked clothes in a bag
in the attic. Detectives were alerted to the evidence and later found
the bag in the precise location where Craig said it could be found.
Following
Craigs detailed account of the Heaton murders, he surprised detectives
again. When asked about Rebecca Spencer, Craig admitted that he also
killed her. He was just 13 years old at the time.
Craig had no
difficulty remembering his first murder. He provided investigators with
details of the night in question, while showing little remorse for what
he had done. After his confession, a wave of disgust mixed with relief
passed over the detectives. Four murders solved within the space of
several hours was a rare break.
Investigators working on the case
were glad they finally had their man. They just hoped Craig would get
what he deserved for the atrocities he committed, preferably a very long
prison sentence. They would have a long wait.

Slipping Under the Wire

Craig Price had the law on his side. Despite the brutal murders he
committed, Craig would never have to face a trial or serve prison time
because he confessed to his crimes just weeks before his 16th birthday. According to Rhode Island state law, all the courts could do was hold him in a training school until his 21st birthday and no longer. Thus after five years, Craig would be a free man with a clean record.
The thought of Craig serving only five years for four brutal murders enraged the citizens of Rhode Island,
especially the families of the victims. It was obvious that the law was
working against them. However, at the time of Craigs offense, teenage
serial killers below the age of 16 were a rare phenomenon. In fact,
Craig was considered to be one of the countrys youngest serial killers.
Even
though Craig could not be tried for the murders, he still had to
undergo a court hearing before he could be placed in the training
school. On September 21, 1989 Craig appeared before Judge Carmine R.
DiPetrillo at the Kent County Courthouse. During the brief proceedings,
Craig was presented with the murder and burglary charges against him, to
which he pleaded guilty.
Craig was ordered to serve five years at the Rhode Island Training Schools
Youth Correctional Center (YCC), a maximum-security detention facility.
He was also ordered to undergo intense psychological examination and
therapy. However, Craig refused treatment. Moreover, he refused to
officially discuss the murders at all by pleading the Fifth Amendment.
Craig
withdrew from the diagnostic and treatment program arranged by the
judge on the advice of his lawyers. According to court documents, the
reasoning behind the decision was based on fears that the psychiatric
examination might, result in his being placed in a psychiatric facility
for commitment beyond his twenty-first birthday. Despite court
intervention, Craig stuck to his guns and refused to submit to any
psychological measures.
In the meantime, Craig carried on with
life within the institution. He completed his high school equivalency
test and began taking satellite college courses. He believed he needed
to improve himself academically so that he could get a good job when he
was let out of the YCC.
By 1993, Craig developed a reputation for
good behavior within the training school, despite the fact that he
refused treatment. In fact, he was in such good standing that his
superiors granted him permission to counsel other youths at the
facility. Moreover, Gina Macris suggested in a 1993 article in The Providence Journal
that Craig also performed light security duties, which included
patrolling the schools hallways. Craig was even allowed to make a rap
video at the school, which included threatening lyrics.
When the news broke of Craigs special treatment at the facility, Rhode Island
citizens and the families of the victims demanded that it be stopped.
After much protest it ended, but the bigger problem still remained. Time
was running short and Craigs release date was steadily approaching.
There was less than one and a half years to work out a way to prevent
him from being freed.

The Campaign

Four figures were instrumental in the campaign to stop Craigs
release. They were Joan Heatons mother, Marie; her sister, Mary Lou;
Capt. Kevin Collins, who led the Heaton investigation; and Assistant
Attorney General Jeffrey Pine. From the beginning, they lobbied the Rhode Island
legislature to institute new bills to prevent Craigs release and others
like him. Moreover, they went out of their way to inform the world of
Craigs crimes and his upcoming release. Together, they tried every
possible avenue to prevent Craig from having the chance to murder again.

Asst. A.G. Jeffrey Pine

In 1990, Pine and Collins were key figures in instigating the passing of
the ONeil bill, which toughened sentences on teenage murderers. In
1993, Pine introduced a controversial bill that would give the Office of
the Attorney General the power to civilly commit a mentally ill
individual to a mental institution if the person posed a danger to
society. Many thought the bill would discriminate against the mentally
ill and give those with psychological problems a bad name. It was also
argued that the bill specifically targeted Craig and could be used to
prevent him from ever being freed.Pine stood his ground. His
main interest was making sure Craig stayed locked up for as long as
possible. Lang quoted Pine as saying, I will do everything I can to
prevent another tragedy. Much to his delight and that of the families of
the victims, the Craig Price Bill was passed that same year. It was a
huge step, which they hoped would result in Craig being forced to submit
to a psychiatric diagnostic and treatment program.

Craig Price arrested

�In October 1993, Collins organized Citizens Opposed to the
Release of Price (CORP). The nonprofit organization concentrated on
raising funds that would be used to increase public awareness about
Craigs crimes and assist with lobbying efforts. The goal was to get
critical bills passed that would prevent Craig from being released.
Marie
and Mary Lou also helped lead the growing campaign. They traveled
throughout the state alerting the general public about Craigs upcoming
release. According to a Time�article by Jill Smolowe, the group
worked endlessly, rallying to get funding, petitions signed and
information to the public, hoping to make Prices name a household word.
Within months the organization attracted hundreds of volunteers, raised
tens of thousands of dollars and gained national attention. �
In
the interim, Craig was preparing himself to begin a new life. By the end
of the year he had already been ordered on six occasions to adhere to
mandatory psychiatric evaluations and therapy. Nonetheless, he continued
to refuse for fear that he would be forced into a mental institution
after his five years at the training school. However, his days of hiding
behind the Fifth Amendment were numbered.
In May 1994, President Bill Clinton flew to Providence,
where he was scheduled to meet and discuss state affairs. Thousands of
demonstrators and a circling airplane that carried the banner Alert!
Killer of 4 Craig Price Moving Here! greeted Clinton as he arrived in the city. It was clear that the citizens of Rhode Island wanted something done about the Craig Price matter, and they were not going to give up until the problem was solved.
In a televised interview, Clinton
expressed his dismay about Craig being let out in approximately six
months. He suggested that the records of juvenile offenders should not
be sealed but publicly accessible. He also mentioned that the laws
needed to be changed to prevent juveniles with a violent history from
purchasing firearms.
Just 15 days after Clinton aired his comments, Rhode Island
lawmakers reviewed bills concerning public access to juvenile criminal
records and juvenile gun laws. However, the problem concerning Craigs
release was still unanswered. Craigs luck was about to change.
On June 8, 1994, Rhode Island
residents were shocked to learn that Craig was indicted on one count of
simple assault and extortion for threatening to injure Officer Mark
Petrella, a training school employee. One week later, Craig was
arraigned and bail was set at $500,000. His trial was scheduled for
later that fall.
That same month Craig faced another problem. His
refusal to submit to psychiatric examinations and therapy had gone on
too long. He was warned that he was in danger of being held in contempt
of court if he failed to undergo treatment. Yet, he would not sway.
Craigs
hearing took place on June 27 at the Providence County Family Court
before Judge S. Jeremiah Jr. During the proceedings, Craig was again
ordered to undergo a psychiatric exam but his answer remained the same.
The judge found him in civil contempt and added an extra year to his
incarceration to be served at the Adult Correctional Institution in Cranston, Rhode Island. The only way that Craig could reduce the sentence was by submitting to the court order.

Cranston prison

After almost five years, Craig finally complied with the
order and agreed to undergo a psychiatric assessment. Dr. Barnum, a
forensic psychiatrist and former head of the Boston Juvenile Court
Clinic, led the evaluation. Even though Craig participated in the
assessment, he didnt do it whole-heartedly. In fact, it was discovered
that he lied about many of the events concerning the murders. It was a
matter that would later be addressed by the Family and District Courts.
In the meantime, all eyes were focused on the upcoming trial.

Judgment Day

Prosecutors Mike Stone (l) and Patrick Youngs

�On October 3, 1994, Craigs trial began at the Superior Court in Providence.
It was a long-awaited showdown that held the media and country in
suspense. A majority of those who packed the courtroom were anxious to
see if justice would finally prevail. They wouldnt have to wait very
long.
Overhearing the case was Judge Thomas Needham. Attorneys
Robert Mann and Katie Hynes led the defense team. Prosecutors Patrick
Youngs and Mike Stone represented the states case against Craig.
The
hushed courtroom listened intently to the opening statements made by
Stone, as he ushered in one of the states most highly publicized trials.
He told jurors that they would learn how Craig verbally assaulted
Petrella, after he was given a disciplinary report to sign for
possession of contraband material (cigarettes and a lighter). Moreover,
they would hear how Craig threatened the officer if he continued his job
at the facility. The prosecution planned to introduce five witnesses.
Manns
statements followed those of the prosecution. When he addressed the
jury, he didnt deny that Craig was angry at Petrellas report or that he
used inappropriate language during the confrontation. However, he stated
that he would introduce witnesses who would prove that Craig never
assaulted or extorted Petrella.
After the opening statements, the
prosecution called their first witness, Mark Petrella. For two hours
Petrella gave a detailed account of the confrontation and how Craig
verbally attacked him using profane language and then threatened to
snuff him if he ever returned to work. He also said that several
officers witnessed the incident and tried unsuccessfully to calm Craigs
increasingly volatile behavior.
Jurors also heard the testimony of
four other witnesses who worked at the training school. Their stories
agreed with Petrellas account. Author Lang claimed that at the end of
the day the state rested its case, pleased that it, had gotten their
point across and the facts had not been contradicted.

Robert Mann (l) and Katie Hynes, defense attorneys

�The next day as the proceedings were set to continue, Mann
asked to excuse the jury so that he could address the court alone. Once
the jury had left, Mann asked the court for an acquittal based on
insufficient evidence. The judge denied the request and ordered the
continuation of the proceedings.
As the trial commenced, the
defense team introduced Antwyon Carter as their first witness. Carter
was an employee at the training school who witnessed the argument first
hand between Petrella and Craig. During his testimony, he claimed that
he never heard Craig use the word snuff against Petrella. Moreover, he
suggested that he didnt take any security measures during or after the
incident because he didnt believe the dispute was a life-threatening
situation.
However, during cross-examination by the prosecution,
Carter contradicted himself by indicating that Craigs actions were
threatening. The defenses case was weakened by Carters statement. They
decided it was time to bring on another witness who worked at the
facility. Yet, when the man took the stand, he also suggested that Craig
acted in a threatening way towards Petrella. The defenses case began to
fall apart.
The next day, Mann decided to let Craig testify on
his own behalf. It was the moment everyone waited for. All eyes turned
their attention to Craig when he recounted the argument he had with
Petrella.
Craig told the jury that after the cigarettes and
lighter were found in his possession, Petrella gave him the impression
that he would not report the incident. He suggested that he was
surprised and then angered when Petrella presented him with the
disciplinary report later that day. He admitted to shouting profanity at
the officer but denied having ever threatened to snuff him out. Craig
believed that Petrellas report was part of a conspiracy to keep him
locked up.
During cross-examination by the prosecution, Craig flew
into a rage, claiming that everyone lied to get him in trouble. He told
awed listeners that he was the only honest person who had taken the
stand during the trial. In fact, he accused prosecutors of being at the
head of the conspiracy to put him behind bars permanently.
Craigs
outburst marked the end of the trial. Both the defense and prosecution
teams prepared to present their closing arguments for the following day.
By the time the news of Craigs testimony hit the stand, many believed
that his hope of attaining freedom was a lost cause. It was only a
matter of time.

The Verdict

On October 6, 1994, the defense and the prosecution teams
presented their closing arguments. Following brief but powerful
arguments, the jury retired to deliberate on the case. It would take
them a day to reach a decision.
The next afternoon the jury
returned their verdict. Craig was found guilty on both counts of
extortion and simple assault. According to Lang, when the verdict was
read, those listening seemed to feel that what he was really found
guilty of was the long-ago murders. Relief spread throughout much of the
courtroom as fears of Craig returning to society rapidly diminished.
That
December, a hearing was held to determine Craigs punishment. Judge
Needham sentenced him to 15 years, eight of which were suspended, at the
Adult Correctional Institution in Cranston. Craigs problems werent over yet.
According to a 2004 article in The Providence Journal,
Craig bit a correctional officers finger during a brawl in February
1996. The article stated that prosecutors took the uncommon step of
charging him for probation violation, even though he was still
imprisoned. He was also charged with assault. Craig was found guilty of
the accusations and sentenced to an additional year in prison.
The
next year, Craig was placed on trial for criminal contempt because he
failed to comply with the psychological evaluations ordered by the
state. The charges against him stemmed from complaints from
psychiatrists who claimed that he lied about the events surrounding the
murders. During the trial, Craig admitted to the charges and he was
eventually found guilty. According to court records, Craig received an
additional 25 years on top of his other sentences. Ten of the years were
to be served outright with 15 years probation. � ��
In October
1998, seven more years were added to Craigs sentence for assaulting a
correctional officer. It would not be his last time. In February 1999
and again in October 2001, Craig was sentenced to a total of four more
years for again verbally and physically assaulting correctional
officers.
To date, there is no telling exactly when Craig Price
will ever be released from prison. His projected release date is
scheduled for February 2022. However, some dont expect Craig will be
released until well after the date, because of his continuing volatile
behavior towards prison guards. Many Rhode Islanders prefer it that way.

Alright fine. You want him and people like him to have a second chance...then let him move into your town on your street right next to your house. Have fun with your new neighbor! You bleeding heart Liberal Idiot!!

Hey I'm a liberal too and I don't agree with the other liberal who wants to give Craig Price a second chance. That liberal is considered a regressive. I agree with you, he should rot in jail for what he's done, he showed no signs of remorse and he will never be able to be rehabilitated.

The crime he committed against those four individuals should never be forgotten and Craig Price should never be released from Prison. He is an animal and should not be trusted in society. Ask yourself how you would feel if he was let out of prison and one of your loved ones was killed by Craig. Do you want to take that chance? He is a serial killer, and these people do not get better - they have no remorse for anything they have done.

This garbage should never see the light of day! I don't care how old he was,if he had murdered ur family i bet you wouldn't be saying give this loser a chance! He's a vile disgusting sick thing and should be put to sleep... Permanently!!

Reading this story I had mixed emotions because he was so young but then I thought if he was that young and so evil then just imagine how his evil his psyche is now that he's a full grown adult! And after reading that he spent his rehabilitation time not really being rehabilitated at all I hope and he's never released. I pray for R.I. if he's ever released.

I knew him he was a sick kid too...he should never ever get out...he was 13 when he killed his first victim but he was huge he looked like an adult and knew better so I hope he dies a horrible death in prison

you know, this is a tough one if you have read more on this case besides this one article, i am actually from warwick ri, 5 mins from buttonwoods where craig lived. it really is a sad thing on both sides of the coin here. you got such a disgraceful set of crimes and a defendant whos never been more railroaded by the system its unbelievable. there were rules pretty much made up on the spot during this guys whole case/cases to keep him in behind bars. but i can also understand why of course but is that right? it also doesnt say in this article craig was high on LSD for the 2 set of murders, which im not saying is an excuse, if anything he should have went to that counseling and got that aired out. also think about your mind at the ages of 13 -15, i mean i can remember some bad/sick stuff that crossed my mind but of course i never followed through like most wouldnt unlike craig. but then you add that murder at 13 that you got away with for 2 years then you get high on LSD and commit the 2nd set. what he did is unexcusable and its a very sad thing for the victims that they will never fully get over. however at the same time i just cant believe how bad this dude has got railroaded to this extent. then i also think where most of his anger is towards, and thats the guards and system and its clear as day, he was a model prisoner in the youth center and the incident with the correctional guard in there is not like something out of the ordinary that happens in a place like that on the regular and is overlooked 99% of the time and you will see that if you read other articles beyond this. if you really think about it also, if craig wanted to kill again its not like he couldnt from prison right? i honestly hate to say this but the guy needs to be released, it isnt right what he did but it also isnt right what the system has done at the same time and it really is one of the only cases like this if you look into history of this kind. you keep kicking and poking a an upset dog the results arent going to be good and i sort of think thats whats been happening here during his prison stint. i am in no way justifying his crimes but you cant just keep making stuff up or trump of the truth on certain things to keep certain individuals in prison, it just isnt right. in a way i sort of compare it it the oj murder, how can you convict someone when you got people on the other side doing stuff they either lie , contaminate or obviously purposely do to try to get a conviction, thats a big part why he got offbut instead we see the opposite here in this case where everyone is kind of just looking the other way on those issues. from 16-21 he showed no signs of murderous behavior in the training school now hes so pissed off at the system he lashing out like anyone would. i would hate to see another murder but enough is enough, let the dude out.